New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): Indian hockey player Mandeep Singh expressed immense happiness and pride after the team secured back-to-back Olympic medals on Saturday.
“I am very happy and proud after winning back-to-back medals at the Olympics,” Mandeep Singh said.
He emphasized that the team was upholding the legacy of Indian hockey, highlighting their strong performance at the games.
“We are maintaining the legacy of Indian hockey. We played our best hockey at the Olympics,” he added.
Singh noted that they avoided the mistakes made during the semifinal match, which ultimately led to their victory in the bronze medal match.
“We didn’t repeat the mistakes we made in the semifinal, and as a result, we won the bronze medal,” he said.
After clinching the bronze medal in men’s hockey at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian men’s hockey team arrived at New Delhi Airport on Saturday morning.
Earlier on Thursday, a brace from skipper Harmanpreet Singh and effortless saves by PR Sreejesh secured a 2-1 win over Spain at the Yves du Manoir Stadium, earning India the bronze medal.
Playing in an electrifying atmosphere, the Indian team added a fourth medal to their tally at the Paris Olympics, overcoming a 0-1 deficit after the first quarter.
Sreejesh, who was playing his last game for India, was overcome with emotion as the rest of the team joined him to celebrate this momentous occasion in Indian hockey history.
India won consecutive bronze hockey medals for the first time in 52 years, since the 1972 Munich Games.
Under the guidance of coach Craig Fulton, India made history by securing back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics. Goals from Harmanpreet Singh (30′, 33′) were enough to seal the victory. Marc Miralles (18′) was the lone goal scorer for Spain.
India had an upper hand in their head-to-head record against Spain at the Olympics, winning seven out of their ten meetings.
Emotions ran high with India’s goalkeeper PR Sreejesh playing his final international game. He was honored with the title of the ‘God of Indian Modern Hockey’ by Hockey India before the bronze medal game.
With chants of ‘India’ echoing throughout the stadium, India tried to crack Spain’s defense from the outset.
India got their first opportunity in the bronze medal match after Hardik sent the ball to Sukhjeet, who narrowly missed the goalpost.
Jose Maria Basterra led the attack for Spain, keeping the Indian team on their toes. In the ninth minute, he forced a save from Sreejesh at the near post.
India posed tough questions to the opposition’s defense, but Spain effectively countered each attack. The first quarter ended goalless.
The game opened up in the second quarter after Manpreet tackled Gerard Clapes inside the D, leading to a penalty stroke for Spain.
Spanish captain Marc Miralles converted the opportunity with a top-corner finish.
With a 1-0 lead, Spain continued to dominate in the second quarter with their possession play. Basterra had an opportunity to double Spain’s lead but failed to capitalize on two penalty corners.
India had another chance after Jarmanpreet trapped an aerial ball and passed it to Lalit, whose attempt was saved.
Spain responded, and three minutes later, Lacalle narrowly missed extending their lead.
India punished Spain for their missed chances and equalized before halftime. Captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner with his trademark drag flick, making it 1-1.
India took the lead early in the third quarter with another penalty corner, which Harmanpreet Singh converted to make it 2-1.
Two minutes later, Harmanpreet found himself with another scoring opportunity but couldn’t convert the penalty corner.
Spain suffered a setback when Bonastre sustained an injury and was taken off the field. In the final minute of the third quarter, Spain thought they had equalized, but the goal was disallowed due to a handball by Marc Recasens.
In the final quarter, Spain continued to search for an equalizer, but India held firm defensively to retain their lead.
As the game neared its climax, the chants of “India Jeetega” echoed throughout the stadium. Despite Spain’s persistent efforts, they failed to breach India’s defense.
In the final 40 seconds, Spain was awarded a penalty corner, giving them one last chance to equalize, but Sreejesh made a flying save to secure the bronze medal for India. (ANI)
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